F O R YO U R E N T E RTA I N M E N T
Pam Lecky’s
Wacky Cake
Where
loyalty lies
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
¼ cup unsweetened
cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp cider or white vinegar
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water
Pam Lecky finds
inspiration in her family’s
wartime experiences
Costco’s suggested Book Club read provides
insight into a selected novel, as well as an
appropriate recipe to accompany your own
book club’s discussion.
P
am Lecky’s latest historical novel,
Her Secret War, explores love and
espionage in war-torn Britain.
When Sarah Gillespie, a young
Irishwoman, loses her family and home
during the May 1941 Luftwaffe bombing of
Ireland, she seeks refuge with relatives in
England. Sarah begins work at Vickers
Supermarine, the makers of the iconic
Spitfire planes, but when the authorities
challenge Sarah to prove her loyalty by
undertaking a mission to uncover a spy,
she is drawn into the dark world of World
War II espionage, where her courage could
save lives—possibly at the cost of her own.
Lecky grew up in Clontarf, a few miles
from the North Strand area of Dublin
where the bombing occurred, and says her
family history inspired the novel. “I was
intrigued that my mother and aunts left
the safety of rural Ireland to work in wartorn Birmingham, England,” recalls Lecky.
“One aunt was employed in a munitions
factory, another was trained as a nurse and
my mother was a ‘clippie’—a conductress—
on the buses.”
Although Her Secret War isn’t their
story, fragments of Lecky’s relatives’ lives
are scattered throughout it and its sequel,
Her Last Betrayal, coming later this year.
© HAZEL O’SHEA
b y J U DY G E L M A N
“In Europe wartime food rationing
meant that the normal comfort foods,
which might have helped ease anxiety,
were unavailable,” says Lecky. “In Britain,
mothers struggled to feed their families,
enduring long lines, only to secure meager,
often poor-quality, supplies.”
In her novel, Sarah’s aunt and uncle
fare better than city dwellers as they have a
garden to grow fruit and vegetables and
can barter their produce. “As Sarah’s uncle
comments, they must fall back on the old
ways of doing things,” explains Lecky.
For a book club discussion of Her Secret
War, Lecky suggests setting the mood with
1940s swing music, preferably by Benny
Goodman and His Orchestra. And for a
dessert true to the period, serve Wacky
Cake (see recipe). “My heroine Sarah’s
downfall is her sweet tooth, so book clubs
might serve this typical wartime cake—
made without butter, milk or eggs, which
were scarce,” she explains.
Enjoy the cake with a cocktail that
Lecky’s heroine Sarah is also rather fond
of: a gin and tonic. “To be even more
authentic, [drink] a glass of Irish stout, or
you can try my favorite cocktail: a French
martini,” adds Lecky. “Cheers!”
Judy Gelman is the creator of the website
bookclubcookbook.com.
ICING
1½ cups semisweet
chocolate morsels
½ cup half-and-half
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly
grease an 8-inch square or
9-inch round pan (at least 2
inches deep).
Whisk dry cake ingredients
together in a medium-size
bowl. Whisk wet cake ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir
wet ingredients into dry
ingredients, until thoroughly
combined. Pour batter into
prepared pan.
Bake cake for 30 to 35
minutes, until a toothpick
inserted into the center
comes out clean, or with
just a few moist crumbs.
Prepare the icing: Heat the
chocolate morsels with halfand-half in a saucepan over
low heat, stirring until morsels
are melted smooth; pour over
cake. Serve plain cake warm
from the pan or cool and top
with icing.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Recipe adapted from
kingarthurbaking.com
COSTCO
CONNECTION
Her Secret War
(Item 1620362;
1/4) is available in
most Costco
warehouses.
JANUARY 2022 Costco Connection 129
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12/13/21 8:52 AM
